Hey guys! Wanna hear some exciting news that has nothing to do with submitting your work? (Well, maybe it does a little because I am hoping to be putting your books on the shelves at the library where I work.) My library just got a remodel making the size of the space almost twice as big. We’re moving in books and furniture and organizing it to be a great place for readers. I’m really excited. But also a little tired. I’ve been moving heavy boxes of books around all day. So, I may have missed a contest or two. If you know of any please do link us up in the comments. I did find quite a few good ones coming up!
ETA: Please check the comments on this post for contests as well. A few wonderful Sub It Clubbers have added some great ones I missed!
January:
1/31: Nelson Algren Literary Awards – Open to short fiction. Enter your story of no more than 8,000 words via Submittable. One grand prize winner to receive $3,500, four finalists awarded $1,000 each and five runners-up to receive $500 each, plus all stories will be considered for publication in Printers Row, the Tribune’s digital literary journal.
February:
2/5: Carina Press First-Page Critiques – Open to Romance. Enter your first page via Submittable. One entrant will be randomly chosen to receive a editorial feedback from Carina Press editors. Note that the page and feedback will be posted online.
2/6: Association of Illustrators World Illustration Awards – There is an entry fee for this listing: $33 per Single Entry; $60 per Multiple Entry. The awards are open to many categories of illustration including books, children’s books, and editorial. Winners to receive feature in an exhibition and publication, and special promotion.
2/14: Valentiny Writing Contest – Enter your Valentine story appropriate for children in which someone is confused. Story must not exceed 214 words. Story to be posted online, see contest rules for details. Prizes include: Picture book critiques from “Dear Editor” Deborah Halverson, literary agent Jodell Sadler, author Andria Rosenbaum, author Jodi McKay, our own Amy Dixon, author Jason Kirschner, a query letter critique from me, and signed books too!
2/15: Lindquist & Vennum Prize for Poetry – Open to residents of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, or Wisconsin. Enter your book length collection of poetry via submittable. Winner to be awarded $10,000.00 plus publication by Milkweed Editions.
2/20: Son of Pitch – Open to YA, NA, Adult. Enter your title, genre, word count, query, and 250 words. Top 20 chosen will go onto a publisher/editor round. There are feedback opportunities starting 2/13. Check the link for details.
2/20: Past-Year Memoir Contest – Enter your 16-word memoir that reflects on 2016. Winner to receive a free class of your choice from Gotham Writers. You must register at Gotham Writers to enter.
2/23: #PBPitch – Open to picture book writers & writer/illustrators. Pitch your picture book via Twitter using the #PBPitch hashtag between 8am and 8pm EST. Participating agents include Cindy Uh of The Thompson Agency, Jennifer March Soloway of Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Liza Fleissig of Liza Royce Agency, Stephanie Fretwill-Hill of Red Fox Literary, and Vicki Selvaggio of Jennifer DeChiara Literary.
2/24: Pitch Madness – Submit a 35-word pitch and the first 250 words of your completed manuscript. A team of readers choose the top 60 entries to move onto coaching and an agent round.
March:
3/6: #SonofaPitch – Pitch your manuscript via Twitter using the #SonofaPitch hashtag. Include your genre/age category in your tweet. You can tweet any number of manuscripts, but only once every hour each.
3/23: #Pitmad – Open to all genres. Pitch your manuscript via Twitter using the #Pitmad hashtag between 8am & 8pm EDT. Only pitch 3 times per project.
Upcoming:
4/1: Scholastic Graphix Contest – Open to Graphic Novels for kids. U.S. Residents only. Up to 5 winners will receive an offer to publish their work with Scholastic and a $15,000 advance.
4/1: Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest – Open to humorous poetry not to exceed 250 lines in length. One entry per person. First prize of $1,000, second prize $250, plus 10 Honorable Mentions receive $100 each and the top 12 entries will be published online. Entry via Submittable.
6/8: #Pitmad – Open to all genres. Pitch your manuscript via Twitter using the #Pitmad hashtag between 8am & 8pm EDT. Only pitch 3 times per project.
Know of a great, no fee contest that I missed? Please link us up in the comments!
Sub It Club 
The SCBWI Work-in-Progress Grants open for submission March 1: https://www.scbwi.org/awards/grants/work-in-progress-grants/
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Another great children’s poetry contest is Madness Poetry (formerly known as March Madness Poetry) is another free contest AND it is so much fun. “Authlete” applications are open now: http://madnesspoetry.com/
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Check out this one for poetry which someone posted about on the Lyrical Language Facebook page. It’s by Daniel Handler aka Lemony Snicket:
ANNOUNCING PER DIEM PRESS:
Over the past year or so I have spent some time in Vancouver, peeking at the Netflix production of A Series of Unfortunate Events. Every day I am there, I am given a small handful of American dollars – a “per diem” designed to cover my expenses. I don’t seem to have any expenses – I’m on the set all day long – and in Canada, this American cash seems particularly silly, so it’s remained unspent.
In time, this became a somewhat substantial amount of money, and I began to think I should do something suitable with it. Thus, the establishment of Per Diem Press, which will publish a single chapbook of poetry in early 2017, eight 4” X 5”pages, saddle-stitched, with a cardstock cover, hopefully designed by the noted illustrator Lisa Brown just as soon as I make her a martini and ask her. The poet will receive $1,000 and a nice stack of copies. The remaining chapbooks will be distributed to my postal club and on the road as I promote my forthcoming filthy novel All The Dirty Parts. If logistics permit, the poet and I will read together at least once.
Poets of every stripe are encouraged to submit eightish pages of previously unpublished poetry in English to Per Diem Press, 912 Cole Street #331, San Francisco California 94117. Submissions need to be received by February 28, 2017.
All rights, of course, will be retained by the poet.
Following the publication of this chapbook, Per Diem Press will go on an extended hiatus until such time as the proprietor receives a substantial amount of money for no good reason.
––DH
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Thank you Chris, Debra, and Sandy for adding these great contests to the Roundup!
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